Cody Johnson leading the Nitro Kart program in 2024 and beyond (Photo: Nate Dean - EKN)

Nitro Kart is among the newer United States karting brands, having been established in 2016. Creator and owner Nick Tucker used his decades of karting and motorsports knowledge to build one of the top Cadet chassis brands in the country. Nitro Kart’s resume is stacked with race wins and numerous championships, including a sweep of the two Cadet classes at the Superkarts! USA SuperNationals in 2018. The expansion of the brand and driver development program into car racing in 2021 was marked by the launch of Nitro Motorsports. Success has continued in their TransAm program, with Tucker spending much of his time and effort on that new arm of the company. The resulting need for an individual to lead the karting program led to the appointment of Cody Johnson, a long-time Nitro Kart team member, to lead the karting division of the company.

Johnson – who grew up in Ocala, Florida – began karting in 2007, and raced all over the Southeast, competing in series such as the WKA, Florida Karting Championship Series, Rotax Max Challenge, and other programs. The 2008 season was a solid year for Cody, winning an FKCS championship while also winning in WKA competition. He raced karts until the age of 14 before moving to asphalt oval racing in sportsman and open wheel modified divisions, winning a championship and placing second in championship standings, respectively, at Citrus County Speedway.

Johnson began working with Ocala Gran Prix, alongside now IndyCar driver Kyle Kirkwood

Johnson eventually returned to karting, this time working part-time at the Ocala Gran Prix facility. At OGP, he worked up the ranks from a track worker to eventually a race team mechanic. It was then he began to hone his skills with the wrenches, learning how to work with drivers and setting up winning karts from the strong lineage of fellow OGP crew members. Under the tent, the OGP crew helped to shape a lot of karting and motorsports talent, including Nick Neri, Oliver Askew, Kyle Kirkwood, Austin Garrison, Ashley Rogero and many more.

“I had the privilege to work and learn from some of my idols. Mike Speed, Alex Speed, Gary Carlton, Mario Ioffredo, Mike Maurini, Gary Willis and others were part of the amazing team at Ocala Gran Prix. In my eyes, Ocala Gran Prix was the best karting team ever assembled as far as talent all-around, turning wrenches, driving, and engine building. I’m not sure it will ever be replicated.”

The end of the 2015 season saw Cody move to North Carolina in his pursuit of chasing his dreams of working in NASCAR. Eventually, Johnson landed a position at Hendrick Motorsports in the chassis building department. There, he was able to be part of two NASCAR championships with Jimmie Johnson and Chase Elliott. While there at Hendrick, he kept a foot in the door for karting.

Johnson was part of Nitro Kart when it swept the Cadet divisions at 2018 SuperNationals (Photo: nitro-kart.com)

It was in 2016 that the Nitro Kart brand and race team was launched. Johnson was part of the formation, which focused around the Cadet categories to support the younger drivers in the sport. The team and brand opened with several drivers, both based on and around the east coast before spreading across the USA – including Brent Crews, Ben Maier, Sebastian Ng, James Overbeck, and others. Nitro Kart grabbed wins and championships in the SKUSA Pro Tour, USPKS, WKA, Rotax Max Challenge and other programs throughout the country.

“At Nitro Kart, we built a powerhouse program for Cadet karting here in the USA. It was a great combination of drivers seeking the knowledge that Nick, myself, the mechanics, and the driver coaches under the tent were able to provide. Put that together with the willingness of the parents to be all-in for the kids to achieve their goals and put in the dedication to be among the best. It was a great combination and exciting few years.”

In 2020, Johnson was offered the opportunity to work for Kevin Harvick, running his son Keelan’s karting program. It was the start of a three-year journey that would see Harvick would win and earn championships in multiple programs. In 2021, Harvick scored his first title, taking the Micro Swift crown in the USPKS program. Later that year, Harvick would also win at the SKUSA SuperNationals. Last year, Harvick slowly stepped away from karting and began moving to his career toward car racing.

This left Johnson once again looking at the next chapter of his career. With Tucker focused primarily on the Nitro Motorsports arm of the company, he has handed over the day-to-day operations of Nitro Kart over to Cody.

Nitro Kart owner Nick Tucker and Johnson with Keelan Harvick (Photo: Nitro Kart)

Since the end of 2022, Nitro Kart has been working with Ryan Perry Motorsport in the 2-cycle side of the sport. RPM has been carrying the full line of Nitro Kart chassis and parts for trackside support, along with housing Nitro Kart drivers under the tent at major events around the country. This year, Johnson has been traveling with RPM to assist those on the Nitro Kart chassis, providing his knowledge to those under the tent.

New for the 2024 season was the Nitro Kart race team focused on Briggs 206 events. Johnson is personally overseeing the Nitro Kart program at their home track of Trackhouse Motorplex in Mooresville, North Carolina, while also running a race team at major events in 2024. Nitro Kart has been at all three of the major Cup Karts North America events this season, including the Winter Nationals at NOLA, the Spring Nationals in Charlotte, and the Summer Nationals held in Pittsburgh.

As expected, Nitro Kart will be present at the upcoming CKNA Grand Nationals 8 on October 10-13 at the New Castle Motorsports Park. The chassis brand has won at the Grand Nationals a total of eight times, including four times in the Sportsman division with Holden Harder being the latest driver to win in 2023.

“We will be finishing off the year at the CKNA Grand Nationals, a place where we have had big success. Our goal is to build off this season and continue expanding our race team on the 4-cycle side while continuing to build our roster in 2-cycle moving into 2025. I’m really excited for the future here at Nitro Kart”

Contact Cody and Nitro Kart for information on the CKNA Grand Nationals services available along with details about the Nitro Kart brand.

Nitro Kart Links:

Website: nitro-kart.myshopify.com

Facebook: TeamNitroKart

Twitter: @KartNitro

Instagram: @nitrokart_

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